Trading Places
by Belle of the Ball
Summary: Harry's seventeen. In his final fight against Voldermort, he's forced to trade places with a seventeen year old James Potter. They both have to try to get through life in each other's worlds and each other's times. ~*~CHAPTER 4 UPLOADED~*~
1. Default Chapter

Stupid Jilly is starting another story. Stalling… trying to come up with sequel ideas for "American Dream"… I don't think this'll help. But it's a distraction. Of course I get all this inspiration for OTHER stories. Sigh. Oh well. On with the story!  
  
1 Chapter 1  
  
Harry was looking around. He said out loud, "Come out, come out wherever you are." He still didn't hear any sounds. He sighed. He knew what would bring him out, "You can't hide forever, Voldemort! I know you're afraid but you've got to get this over with. Voldemort appeared out of nowhere.  
  
"Me? Afraid of a little seventeen year old? Dream on, my friend."  
  
"I am not, nor have I ever been your FRIEND." He and Voldemort glared at each other for a while.  
  
Voldemort said, "So this is what it comes down to. You don't have your little friends to help you now." He winced. Hermione had broken her leg earlier on and hadn't been able to go on. And Ron… Harry shook his head. He couldn't think about that then. "You're right, you know. What's passed is passed. Things may not go the way you want them to. Things don't work, relationships end, people DIE."  
  
Harry scowled, "Yes, they die thanks to people like you!" Voldemort laughed.  
  
"Well, after a while, killing JUST Muggles gets a little boring. People who just LOVE Muggles are just as bad in my opinion. Like that Dumbledore, he was the worst one. I did you all a service by getting rid of him."  
  
Harry winced again, "Weren't you the one who said what's passed is passed? Let's get on with this."  
  
"Gladly."  
  
Harry took out his wand, "Are you ready?"  
  
"More than ready. CRUCIO!" Harry felt terrible pain all over his body. But he was very strong and able to endure it.  
  
"You can't get me that easily."  
  
"That was only practice." They went on, doing curses on each other. Harry was beginning to weaken. "Only a little longer, Potter! Then I'll be rid of you forever!" Harry thought quickly. He remembered what Dumbledore had taught him not long before he died.  
  
Flashback:  
  
Dumbledore said, "I believe I have very little time left, Harry."  
  
Harry said, "Don't say that!"  
  
"But it's true." He smiled. "Don't worry about me. It'll all be fine. You know that it will all come down to you in the end, don't you?" Harry nodded. "There is a certain spell that will help you. It is a bit like AVADA KEDAVRA. The difference is that it has even more power. It will destroy everyone within one hundred yards of you. The only reason people don't often use it is that it's been known to… make things go wrong."  
  
"Go wrong?"  
  
"People often disappear and don't come back."  
  
"I don't care about that. I just want to defeat Voldemort."  
  
"I know. That is why I'm giving this spell to you. DAMORE SERO. That's it. Use it well, my friend."  
  
"What if I won't be able to do it?"  
  
"You will. I know you will."  
  
  
  
Harry took a deep breath. He was pretty sure he had enough power left for one great spell. He pointed his wand and yelled, "DAMORE SERO!!!" Harry saw a great blinding light and was knocked out.  
  
  
  
Harry opened his eyes. He looked around and saw several people standing around him. Someone asked, "Is he waking up?"  
  
"I think so." Harry looked up at them. He sort of recognized them all. But it was only very vaguely…  
  
A boy said, "James? How're you doing?"  
  
"James? What are you talking about?"  
  
The boy asked, "Madam Sarven? James doesn't seem to know his name." A few people laughed. A rather plump, annoyed-looking woman came in.  
  
She said, "Well maybe there are just too many people in here! I know you all are friends of James's but I'm limiting this to best friends only!" About ten people frowned and left.  
  
They all yelled things like, "Hope you get better, James! Great catch today!" Harry sat up. Why was everyone calling him by his father's name?  
  
The boy from before asked, "Are you okay now, James?"  
  
Harry asked, "Why do you keep calling me James? I'm Harry!"  
  
"No, my friend. Your COUSIN is Harry. And YOU are James. And as long as we're introducing people, I'm Sirius, that's Remus, that's Peter, and that's Lily." Harry looked around.  
  
"Sirius?"  
  
"Yeah… I think he's finally making sense."  
  
Remus said, "Well, good. You were scaring us there, Prongs." Harry could hardly believe it. He was seeing Sirius, Lupin, and Wormtail. But they all looked like they were about seventeen. And Lily, his mother! She was a beautiful girl that was only his age…  
  
Harry asked, "What happened?"  
  
Sirius asked, "Don't you remember the game?"  
  
"No…"  
  
Remus said, "It was brilliant! You were going for the Snitch and you were just about there. But stupid Silver knocked you off your broom with his club. You got the Snitch right before, though."  
  
Lily said, "We were all worried about you, James." Harry looked at her. Was he really where he thought he was?  
  
Madam Sarven said, "I'm sorry but I really need to treat my patient! Now all of you run along now."  
  
Sirius yelled, "Feel better, Prongs!"  
  
Peter said, "Yeah, get better, James!" They all left. Harry was REALLY confused.  
  
He said, "I need to talk to someone."  
  
Madam Sarven said, "Always wanting to talk, eh, James? Who?"  
  
"Who's the headmaster?"  
  
"Dumbledore, of course." Dumbledore? He was alive?  
  
"Dumbledore? Let me talk to him!"  
  
"First treatment, then I'll send for Dumbledore. It won't take long. Just some bumps and bruises. But there is there is TERRIBLE scar on your forehead. Looks a little like a lightning bolt. Does it hurt?"  
  
"My scar? Oh no, it's from—" But that hadn't happened yet, had it? "Um, no. It doesn't hurt. Can I talk to Dumbledore now?"  
  
"… I suppose. I'll want you to stay in the wing till dinner. I'll send for Dumbledore."  
  
She left the room. Harry looked around. The hospital wing didn't look very different. But it definitely had a different FEEL. Harry thought, is this what happened to everyone who tried that spell? They go back in time? And is this REALLY happening? Dumbledore walked in.  
  
He asked, "Are you feeling better, James?"  
  
Harry stared at him. Dumbledore was alive! Not only alive but he looked younger! When he'd last seen Dumbledore, he'd looked so OLD. Now Dumbledore still had silver hair and all but he seemed much more youthful. It was just something about him.  
  
"Er, yes. I need to talk to you."  
  
"So I've heard. What is it?"  
  
"Well, first of all, I'm not James. I'm Harry."  
  
"I think you must of hit your head rather hard, James! You have a cousin named Harry, don't you?"  
  
"No! I'M Harry!"  
  
"All right…" Harry could tell Dumbledore didn't believe him. "What's that on your forehead?"  
  
"My scar…"  
  
"Very interesting. You got that falling, did you?"  
  
"No! I got it when I was a year old. Voldemort attacked me and killed my parents."  
  
"Voldemort?"  
  
"Yes! He killed my parents, Lily and James Potter!" Dumbledore stared at him.  
  
"This isn't just another joke, is it?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Wait, your eyes! They're green. Just like Lily's…"  
  
"Yes they are! Green, not brown! Please, do you believe me, professor?"  
  
"Yes, I think so." Harry smiled.  
  
"Thank you."  
  
"Your name was Harry?"  
  
"That's me. It feels strange for you not to know that."  
  
"How exactly did you get here?"  
  
"I'm not exactly sure. I was against Voldemort. And I used this spell that you taught me before you…"  
  
"I died, didn't I?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"Well," He shrugged, "I'll know better for the future." Harry thought, so that's why he seemed to already know when he was going to die! "What spell was it?"  
  
"Damore Sero."  
  
"Really? But that's a brand new theory! And hardly anyone knows about it! Did it work?"  
  
"I don't know. I saw this light and then I was here."  
  
"So it did work! See, the trouble with the spell is that it would have so much power; it could open a hole into another dimension. And if someone were to try it, they would be in danger of falling through that hole."  
  
"So I feel through a hole… in time?"  
  
"It's my theory. And if you're here, James must be in the time that you were in!"  
  
"Oh wow… so how can I get back?"  
  
"I don't know. I'll have to read up on time traveling spells."  
  
"And while you do that, what'll I be doing?"  
  
"I guess you'll just have to stay here and pretend you're James."  
  
"Pretend I'm my father? Are you crazy? I don't even know what he was like!"  
  
"Well, has anyone ever told you about your father?"  
  
"Sure. I know that he was a practical joker and that he was on the Quidditch team."  
  
"That's a start. Are you the practical joking type?"  
  
"I suppose…  
  
"What did you two do?"  
  
"Sorry, it's just that Ron, my best friend, died last year."  
  
"I'm sorry. Ron who?"  
  
"Weasley."  
  
"Really? Arthur and Molly are expecting right now…"  
  
"Must be Charlie."  
  
"I heard that was what they wanted to name him. But anyway, can you play Quidditch?"  
  
"Yes. I'm the Seeker on the Gryffindor team."  
  
"Just like James! Are you an Animagus?"  
  
"Yeah, I become a horse."  
  
"Perfect! I think you'll get along very well, Harry. You're just like James!"  
  
"What about my eyes?"  
  
"Could be a problem. Hold on. GLAMOURE!"  
  
"What just happened?"  
  
"I turned your eyes brown temporarily. Let's see… You room with Sirius, Remus, and Peter."  
  
"Peter…"  
  
"What?"  
  
"He was the reason my parents were killed!"  
  
"How?"  
  
"He was working for Voldemort. My parents had him as their secret keeper and he ratted them out to Voldemort!"  
  
"Peter? Working for Voldemort? Really?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I'll have to investigate that."  
  
"Professor?"  
  
"Yes?"  
  
"Are my parents… going out now?"  
  
"Yes, they've been going out for a few years now. Why?" Harry just looked at him "Oh, I see…"  
  
"Yeah. What do I do?"  
  
"Just try to avoid that, I suppose."  
  
"That's all?"  
  
"I guess so. I'll tell you if I find anything. Now go to dinner. And don't forget, you're James now."  
  
"All right, I guess."  
  
"And, James?"  
  
"It's Harry."  
  
"Right. Remember not to tell anyone else about the fact that you aren't really James."  
  
"Okay. Thanks, Professor."  
  
"Of course. Goodbye."  
  
"Goodbye."  
  
Harry went down to dinner. It was nice to see Dumbledore hadn't been all that different about twenty years earlier. It sure would be confusing trying to act like his father. And he could hardly believe any of this was going on. Oh well, if it was one thing he'd learned in his fight against Voldemort, it was that you had to be satisfied with what you had.  
  
And that's it for today. I'd better get beck to my sequel writing. What fun… All right, cya all later! 


	2. Chapter 2

Hiya everyone. I'm glad you like my story so far. Kind of a weird plot but I like it. On with the story!  
  
Disclaimer: J.K. Rowling owns all these characters, I don't. Besides, I'm not exactly rich so suing me would just be a waste of time. =).  
  
1 Chapter 2  
  
James opened his eyes. He was in the hospital wing. He wasn't surprised; he'd taken a pretty bad fall at the Quidditch game. He looked around. There were lots of people there but he didn't recognize them.  
  
He heard a girl say, "I think he's finally waking up!"  
  
He looked at the girl. She was out of focus since he didn't have his glasses on. "Lily?"  
  
"No, it's Hermione."  
  
"Hermione?" She hugged him.  
  
"Oh, Harry! I was so worried. We all thought you were going to—" James put his glasses on. The girl DEFINETELY wasn't Lily. She had long brown hair and brown eyes. He saw tons of redheaded people too. He saw a man who looked familiar.  
  
He asked the man, "Joseph?"  
  
The man said, "No, it's Sirius. Joseph was my father… are you all right Harry?" James stared at him. That couldn't be Sirius! Sirius was the same age as he was! This was a man! And he looked so much more—ANGRY than his Sirius had.  
  
James said, "Er, I have a bit of a headache but I'm fine." Sirius smiled at him. He thought to himself, oh god, it IS Sirius! He'd know that smile anywhere.  
  
A plump redhead hugged him, "Harry! Thank god you're all right! I couldn't stand losing you, especially after—" And she burst into tears. Her husband hugged her. James was REALLY confused. He looked at Sirius. That was someone he KNEW at least, even if he seemed so much older.  
  
"Sirius, what's going on?"  
  
"You beat Voldemort, Harry! I don't know how you did it. But you did! You'll have to tell us about it when you feel better."  
  
"What are you talking about? Someone beat Voldemort? What happened at the Quidditch game?"  
  
Hermione stared at him, "What Quidditch game? Quidditch season is OVER." Everyone was giving him strange looks.  
  
James said, "What's going on?! We were just at the Quidditch game. Silver knocked me off my broom. Did I get the Snitch?" Sirius's eyes widened.  
  
"Silver?" James nodded.  
  
A red-haired girls asked, "Harry? Are you all right?"  
  
"Why do you keep calling me Harry?" Sirius looked shocked.  
  
"Er, everyone! I think Harry needs his rest. You should go." Everyone headed out.  
  
Hermione asked, "Aren't you coming?"  
  
"I'll come in a minute." Everyone left. Sirius stared long and hard at James. "James?"  
  
"Is that REALLY you, Sirius?" Sirius nodded. "But you're so old!"  
  
"You mean to tell me you really are James?"  
  
"Of course! Remember the Quidditch game? Ask me anything only I would know."  
  
"Um… how did you first ask Lily out?"  
  
"That's easy. It was after I caught the Snitch against Slytherin during our fourth year."  
  
"God, it really IS you, James!" He hugged him.  
  
"Yeah, it's me. What's going on? Why are you so old?" Sirius laughed.  
  
"I'm not exactly sure. Tell me what you remember."  
  
"Well. I was at the Quidditch game. I just about had the Snitch but then Silver knocked me off my broom. I hit the ground really hard and blacked out. And then I woke up here." Sirius looked deep in thought.  
  
"Well… I don't know. Harry must have performed some kind of spell powerful enough to form a hole in the time dimension. That's the only thing I can think of. And you two must have gotten switched. That means Harry's there…"  
  
"Okay, who is Harry?" Sirius stared at him for a minute.  
  
"James, Harry's your son."  
  
"My SON?! But I'm only seventeen!"  
  
"This is later, remember? It's been… twenty-two years. You and Lily got married and you had a son. His name is Harry and he looks exactly like you."  
  
"Oh god… I really AM in the future! Um, what's he like?"  
  
"He's great. He's just like you, James… God, it's so weird to see you again!"  
  
"So… what if I run into the older version of me? I must be almost forty by now!"  
  
Sirius frowned, "I don't think that'll be happening."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"James…"  
  
"What is it? You can tell me, Padfoot." Sirius shook his head.  
  
"Padfoot… god. James, you won't see yourself because you're dead." James gasped.  
  
"Dead? But how?"  
  
"You were killed by Voldemort when Harry was only a year old. Lily was too."  
  
James's eyes widened, "Voldemort? So Harry doesn't know me?"  
  
"No." He put a hand on James's shoulder. "I'm sorry." James frowned. He was going to die that young? And his son wouldn't have anyone as a father?  
  
"That's horrible! I died… What's happened to you?"  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Well, you're certainly not the way you used to be."  
  
"Er… a LOT has happened to me. But we'll talk about that another time."  
  
"Okay… Let's talk to Dumbledore. He can sort this out." Sirius winced. "What? What's wrong?"  
  
"He… died."  
  
"Really? When?"  
  
"Just a few months ago. Don't worry about him." James nodded.  
  
"He had a really long life, then. So what do I do? How do I get home?"  
  
"Well, we can read up on spells. Maybe we can find that spell that Harry used. God, I hope Harry's all right."  
  
"So you're friends with Harry?"  
  
"He's like my son. He IS my godson."  
  
"Well, of course you would be. But what do I do until we find something?"  
  
"Well, you probably shouldn't tell anyone that you're James. It would just confuse everyone. You and Harry are practically identical so everyone will think you're him. Oh, wait." He took out his wand. "GLAMORE!" James blinked.  
  
"What did you just do?"  
  
"Turned your eyes green temporarily. That's what Harry's eyes are like." James looked in the mirror.  
  
"Wow! They're EXACTLY like Lily's. Weird…"  
  
"Now you look just like him." Sirius looked at his watch. "Damn, I have a class in ten minutes."  
  
"Class?"  
  
"I just started teaching Defense the Dark Arts this year."  
  
"You're a professor? I never saw that one coming…" Sirius grinned.  
  
"Yeah. Severus Snape's a professor here too." James's eyes widened.  
  
"SNAPE? Dumbledore let HIM be a teacher?"  
  
"Yeah, I couldn't believe it either. He's really not a bad guy, though."  
  
James stared at him, "Are you REALLY Sirius?"  
  
He nodded, "A lot's happened."  
  
"I guess so. So I'm really supposed to pretend that I'm my son? I don't even know what he's like!"  
  
"Don't worry. He's so much like you. He even becomes the same thing as an Animagus."  
  
"Really? Wow… who are his friends?"  
  
"His best friend is Hermione Granger. And he has tons of other friends, just like you. He has a girlfriend too—"  
  
"Girlfriend?"  
  
"Yeah… oh…"  
  
"Yeah. Who is she?"  
  
"Ginny Weasley. The redheaded girl you saw earlier."  
  
"What should I do?"  
  
"Just try to avoid kissing and stuff like that."  
  
"Okay."  
  
"Oh, wait! You need a scar…"  
  
"Scar?"  
  
"Harry has one. Let's hope this works. SEALANO!" James felt great pain in his forehead.  
  
"Aahh! What did you do that for?"  
  
"Looks exactly like his!" James looked in the mirror. He had a scar shaped like a lightning bolt over his right eye.  
  
"Is this permanent?"  
  
"Of course not. Only temporary."  
  
"How did he get this scar?"  
  
"Er… we can talk about that later."  
  
All right… This has been SUCH a weird day."  
  
"You can just stay in here until dinner. That'll be in about an hour." He shook his head, "You have NO idea how weird it is to see you, James."  
  
"Yeah…" Sirius hugged him.  
  
"I have to go. Bye. You're Harry now, okay?"  
  
"Okay. Bye, Sirius."  
  
"Bye."  
  
Sirius left. James couldn't get over how weird all this was. And if he was here what was his son doing back in his time. And how was he supposed to pretend to be like him? And was he REALLY going to die? Sirius and Snape were both professors. It was all a little too much to take. But he was stuck there. So he'd just have to learn to deal with it all.  
  
And that's it. We get to go back and see how Harry's doing in my next chapter. Please review! I love reviews… Hehe. Anyway, hope you liked this chapter! 


	3. Chapter 3

So… you guys really like this fic? Weird… I like it too. It's just a kind of weird idea. But I'm certainly not complaining! I'm glad you enjoy the weird little ideas I come up with. Anyway, on with the story!  
  
1 Chapter 3  
  
Harry walked into the Great Hall. It basically looked the same. Aside from the fact that everyone sitting at the tables was different. He took a deep breath. He was nervous about pretending to be James. He sighed. It couldn't be helped. He looked around. A crowd of people at the Gryffindor waved at him. He went over to the table. Lily put her arm around him and kissed him on the cheek. That kind of startled him.  
  
Lily said, "I'm glad you're okay!"  
  
Harry said, "Er, yeah, I'm fine."  
  
Sirius said, "That's good. Wouldn't want you missing anything." Sirius gave him a sort of look.  
  
"Um… yeah…" Tons of people started stopping by their table.  
  
One girl said, "That was a great catch, James!"  
  
Harry said, "Thanks." This was something he was at least used to. People complimented him on his Quidditch playing all the time.  
  
Remus said, "We'd better start doing our homework soon. Now that James is better and all."  
  
Sirius groaned, "No! I think we should have some FUN now that James is better."  
  
He grinned at Harry. Harry couldn't help grinning back. It was so strange to see Sirius like that. Not only was he younger, he seemed like a different person. His eyes were teasing and mischievous. They didn't hold all the anger and pain his Sirius's eyes did.  
  
James said, "Yeah, I reckon that would be better than homework." Lily sighed.  
  
"It's a wonder how you both get such good grades."  
  
Sirius said, "It's because we're bloody brilliant, darling." James looked at Lily. It was just so strange to see her. Lily smiled at him.  
  
Peter said, "So, what do you want to do?" Sirius rolled his eyes. It was obvious he hadn't been thinking of including Peter in their plans.  
  
Remus said, "Well, if you're not going to do homework, I think a party is in order. If you beat Slytherin next week, we'll get the cup!"  
  
Sirius said, "We deserve it, Slytherin has been winning WAY too much."  
  
Lily said, "They've won ONCE during the whole time we've been at Hogwarts."  
  
"One time too many…"  
  
Remus said, "James, you're being awfully quiet. You're the hero of the day, be happy! Let's go to the kitchen, get more food, and have a party in the common room."  
  
Lily said, "MORE food? But we just finished dinner!"  
  
Peter said, "I could stand a little more food."  
  
Sirius punched him playfully in the arm, "You can ALWAYS stand more food, Wormtail." Peter grinned. Sirius yelled, "Attention everyone! We're going to have a party in the Gryffindor common room for our great Seeker, James Potter!" Several people cheered. Harry, Lily, Sirius, Remus, and Peter went down to the kitchens and got as much food as they could. They went up to the common room and began their party.  
  
One girl that looked kind of familiar came up to Harry and said, "You're our best captain ever, James!" Harry grinned.  
  
"Thanks. You're a great—"  
  
"Chaser? Thanks." She walked away. He wondered why he recognized her.  
  
Sirius said, "Too bad Johnson is leaving this year. This school will have a hard time finding another chaser as good as her." Angelina?  
  
Remus said, "Yeah, Alyssa's really good." No. That girl must have been Angelina's mother!  
  
Peter said, "Anyway, so when exactly is Remus's next—"  
  
Sirius interrupted, "Er, why don't we talk about that OUTSIDE?" Everyone helped drag Peter out into the hall. Sirius exclaimed, "How many times to we have to tell you, Peter?"  
  
"Tell me what?" Peter asked innocently.  
  
Sirius said, "You NEVER mention Remus's PROBLEM when we're in public. We agreed on that, remember?" Peter looked down.  
  
"I'm sorry you guys." Harry almost felt sorry for him. He looked so pitiful.  
  
He said, "Hey, you guys, don't be so hard on him. He just forgets things sometimes."  
  
Remus grinned, "James, you defend Peter too much."  
  
Sirius said, glaring at Peter, "Yeah. With this big-mouth, that could get you into trouble someday."  
  
Harry remembered what Peter had done to his parents. He'd forgotten for a moment. "Er, yeah." He glared at Peter. "Make sure to keep quiet."  
  
Peter nodded, "I'll be more careful." Yeah, right…  
  
Sirius said, "Well, we've got a party to attend!" He looked at Harry. "YOUR party, in fact." Harry grinned at him.  
  
"Okay. Let's go!"  
  
They went back inside and had a great time. Pretending to be James really wasn't that difficult. Although when people asked him about the Quidditch game, he wasn't quite sure what to do. But he decided to just say he didn't remember anything and immediately one of the other guys would start talking about it in detail. Harry thought it was very nice to be in a world where all that killing and pain wasn't going on. Or at least it wasn't going on near him.  
  
As it was getting later, Harry's mind wandered. He wondered how his father was doing. It was probably more difficult for him in Harry's time. Especially since everyone thought James was dead. And they were right. But he supposed James would be pretending to be him just like he was pretending to be James. All of this was just too weird… It was so strange to see all these adults he knew looking like teenagers. It was especially strange to see Lily. He'd always seen her as looking more… motherly. But then again, she was only seventeen at the time. He still didn't know what he was going to do about the whole dating thing with Lily. This was all so strange…  
  
Sirius said, "Prongs, are you okay?"  
  
Harry looked startled, "Er, fine. I guess I'm just still a little out of it from the game."  
  
Remus said, "Well, that's understandable. Hey look! Peter's out there trying to dance!"  
  
They all laughed about that for a while. The party went on until about one o'clock in the morning. Then everyone realized that they had school the next day and they all started going to bed. Harry didn't really know where his room was so he just followed Sirius, Remus, and Peter. Their room was pretty close to the one where Harry lived at his Hogwarts. The four of them roomed with this boy named Paul he seemed very nice. Paul fell asleep before the rest of them.  
  
Once they were all in bed, Sirius said, "Well, Prongs, you put in a great game today. As usual."  
  
Harry said, "Of course. I ALWAYS do TERRIBLY well at Quidditch." Sirius laughed and threw a pillow at him. "No, seriously, thanks for the party."  
  
Remus said, "No problem, Prongs. You deserve one."  
  
Peter said, "Can we talk about when Remus's thing is now?"  
  
Harry said, "I don't know. Is Paul asleep?"  
  
Sirius shrugged and said, "Poke him." Harry grinned and poked Paul in the arm. Paul didn't flinch. "Yeah, he's asleep."  
  
Peter said, "All right then. Remus, when is it?"  
  
Remus groaned and said, "Next weekend. Why can't you ever remember?"  
  
Peter sighed, "Sorry, Rem."  
  
Sirius said, "So it's a whole week until our Night of Mischief?" Harry nodded along with the other two. "Well… we'll have to think up a diversion to keep us bust till then." Harry couldn't help grinning with the others. He felt like one of the Weasley twins when he was around these guys.  
  
Remus yawned, "We'll come up with something tomorrow. I'm tired."  
  
Peter said, "Yeah, me too." Harry, on the other hand, was still pretty awake. He lied in her bed for about half an hour. He looked and saw someone kneeling next to his bed.  
  
"Prongs, you still up?" It was Sirius.  
  
Harry replied, "Yeah." He could see Sirius grinning in the dark.  
  
"I knew you would be. Come on, let's go have some fun." Harry smiled and got out of bed. Sirius grabbed the map. "Don't forget your cloak." Harry picked up the familiar invisibility cloak off a chair. They went into the hall and got under the cloak.  
  
Harry, by instinct, pointed his wand at the map and said, "I solemnly swear that I am up to no good." They looked at the map.  
  
Sirius grinned, "Well, well," pointing at a certain dot, "just the man we'd like to see."  
  
Harry read the name next to the dot, "Severus Snape."  
  
Harry realized for the first time that Snape was the same age as him in this time. He'd grown to definitely respect Snape. But that didn't mean he liked him. And this was BEFORE he changed. Harry wondered if he was already working for Voldemort by then.  
  
Sirius said playfully, "Seems our dear little Snapey is up after hours! Well, we'll just have to punish him for that, won't we?"  
  
Harry said, "I think we will." They both snuck down to the kitchens. Harry knew the way well since he'd learned how to get down there during his fourth year. They took the cloak off and looked at all the house elves.  
  
A little one ran up and said, "Mr. Potter and Mr. Black! What a surprise!"  
  
Sirius said, "Good to see you, Rikky."  
  
"Is you needing anything?" Sirius and Harry looked at each other and grinned.  
  
Sirius said, "We'll be needing a bucket full of syrup." Rikky had it to them in a minute.  
  
"Would you sirs want any pancakes with that?"  
  
Harry said, "No. This is just fine. Thanks."  
  
"No problem, Mr. Potter! Come again!" The two of them left the kitchens.  
  
Harry looked at the map, "Snape's in the entrance hall. I wonder what he's doing there?"  
  
Sirius shrugged, "Who knows? But let's get moving."  
  
The two of them raced quietly to the entrance hall. Snape was standing there, looking out the window. He actually didn't look that different. He looked almost exactly like he had in Harry's time. Except that he was much a younger and a little better looking.  
  
Sirius whispered, "Okay, let's go around him in circles. That always drives him crazy." They began to run around Snape in circles. Snape could hear them but he couldn't see them. He kept looking to where the noise was coming from.  
  
Snape asked, "Potter, is that you? "Harry fought to keep from laughing.  
  
They stopped running and Sirius said in a spooky voice, "Severus Snape…"  
  
Snape said, "Black, is that you?"  
  
Harry said, also in a strange voice, "Who is this Black?"  
  
Snape exclaimed, "It's you two, I know it is! Where are you?"  
  
Sirius said, "You're breaking the rules, Snape. What is an ugly, greasy haired git like yourself doing up at this hour?"  
  
Snape said, "You two had better get out here right now! I'll tell Professor Quant!" Harry supposed that Professor Quant was the head of Slytherin.  
  
Harry said, "I still don't know who these Potter and Black boys are. And besides, if you were to tell Quant, wouldn't you have to tell him that YOU were up this late as well?" Snape said nothing. Obviously, he hadn't thought of that.  
  
Sirius said, "And here's some punishment for your check, Snapey!" They lifted the cloak quickly and poured the syrup all over Snape. They put the cloak back on quickly and rushed into the hall.  
  
Snape was yelling, "Potter, someday I'm going to get you for this!" Sirius and Harry collapsed and started laughing.  
  
Harry asked, "Did you see the look on his face?"  
  
Sirius nodded, he imitated Snape, " 'Potter, someday I'll get you for this'!" He shook his head and grinned, "Every time! After every prank we've played on that git, he ALWAYS says that."  
  
Harry laughed. He'd never known that Sirius could be so much fun! He envied his father for having this life. He forgot for a minute how hard James's life must have gotten after he finished the year at Hogwarts.  
  
Sirius said, "Well, we'd better go back to our room before Filch catches us."  
  
A rough voice yelled, "Who's down there?"  
  
Harry looked at Sirius, "Too late." The two of them got up and started racing for their room. Filch was running after them.  
  
Filch yelled, "Potter! Black! Is that you?" Sirius and Harry hurried up the steps. The two of them looked back and realized Filch wasn't chasing them anymore.  
  
Filch yelled, "Peeves! Let me pass!"  
  
Peeves said, "Aw, Filchy, you don't know how to have fun!"  
  
"Did you see any student past through here?"  
  
"I don't know. Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. But you'll never know that, will you?" They heard Filch groan and walk away. The two of them went in their room and slammed the door. They started laughing again.  
  
Remus said sleepily, "What is it?"  
  
Sirius said, "We were just out giving Snapey a bath."  
  
Harry said, "Yeah. A bath with maple syrup!" Remus grinned at them.  
  
"I wish I could've come."  
  
Sirius said, "It was hilarious. Filch almost caught us though." Remus's face clouded.  
  
"That's happening more and more. I swear he'll catch us someday. He's especially on the watch for you two. We should probably be careful."  
  
Sirius said, "We're ALWAYS careful. Isn't that right, James?" Harry nodded.  
  
Remus said, "Oh please. You two don't know the meaning of the word. You'll get that map taken away someday, you know."  
  
Sirius said, "Impossible." He grabbed the map and said, "Mischief managed." Remus shrugged.  
  
"Oh well. Did Snape see you guys?"  
  
Harry said, "He knew it was us but no, he didn't see us."  
  
Sirius said, "Besides, he was up after hours too. So he'll have a hard time telling on us without getting his own greasy self in trouble. To be safe, we were here all night sleeping, right?" Remus nodded and grinned.  
  
"As always."  
  
They got in bed. Harry grinned to himself. It had been a long time since he'd had so much fun. He frowned suddenly. It was dangerous getting too happy here. He knew he'd have to go home eventually. Home to where so many people were dead… He really didn't want to think about that. But he knew he had to. He had to be ready to go home as soon as possible. He really did miss Ginny and Hermione. He knew he couldn't let himself have too much fun here or else he'd never be able to leave. And if he didn't leave, then what would happen? Playing with time sure was weird. Since thinking about all this was making Harry uncomfortable, he went back to thinking about how funny Snape's face looked when they'd poured the syrup all over him.  
  
All right friends! I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I've decided it'll be pretty much a pattern. Every other chapter will be about Harry, and every other chapter will be about James. I think that works out. So, make sure to review! And have a happy day! 


	4. Chapter 4

Hey people! I just got back from Blue Lake Fine Arts Camp. I was there for a month, that's why I haven't updated in a while. Anyway, camp was awesome! I recommend it to anyone. Anyway, enjoy this chapter!  
  
Chapter 4  
  
James was released from the hospital wing when it was time for dinner. He wandered through the halls, trying to see if anything was different. Nothing really. But Hogwarts certainly had a different feel. He shook his head to himself. Some crazy things had happened to him but this was definitely the craziest. He wondered why Sirius had looked so sad. It seemed as though a lot had happened with Voldemort. (James never bought into the whole "You-Know-Who" thing either). I mean, Voldemort was an ISSUE in his time; it had been since he had been eleven, but it never really seemed to concern him or any of his friends. He wondered how that had all changed.  
  
He came into the Great Hall. People swamped him at once.  
  
"Harry, are you okay?" "You really did it, Harry!" "You're so brave!" "How did you do it?" "What happened?" "We are SO having a party later! It'll be like when me and George used to go here!" The last comment was from one of the red-haired twins Harry had seen in the hospital wing. James got through the people and went to sit with Hermione and the red-haired girl. He was guessing that girl was Ginny.  
  
Hermione and Ginny both got up and hugged James, which took him by surprise. Hermione said, sounding like she was near tears, "Oh, Harry, I was so scared. Especially after we lost Ron." And then she burst into tears. James patted her shoulder awkwardly. He wondered who Ron was. After hearing what Hermione said, Ginny cried too.  
  
"Well, I'm okay." James said. They both backed away a little, although Ginny still stayed uncomfortably close. Ginny kissed him quickly, before he had a chance to react. She smiled at him.  
  
"I'm SO glad you're okay, Harry!"  
  
James replied, a bit shaken (he just kissed another girl and he has a girlfriend), "Er, yeah. Me too." They all sat down; James made sure to sit next to Hermione in case Ginny tried to kiss him again.  
  
Ginny asked in a low voice, "So, what happened? How did you actually defeat him?" Hermione shot her a look.  
  
"I don't think Harry wants to talk about it." They both looked at James.  
  
"Er . I really don't remember anything."  
  
"And that's perfectly understandable," Hermione said. James heard someone clear her throat. He looked at the head table. He was surprised to see that it was Professor McGonagall. But, of course! If Dumbledore had died, McGonagall had probably taken over as Headmistress. Everyone was quiet.  
  
"I'm sure we are all very excited tonight. We all have the right to be." She allowed herself a smile before going on, "I want to thank Harry Potter for defeating You-Know -" she stopped, looking a little unsure of herself, then said, "Voldemort, at last." The whole room exploded in applause. Even some of the Slytherins were clapping. "Therefore I would like to award two hundred points to him." There was even more applause from the Gryffindor table.  
  
She put her hand up to silence it. "Though this is a very happy occasion, I want to remind you of the cost of this victory. Many people lost their lives in this battle. Some of them might have been people you've only heard of, and some of them might have been your best friends." She glanced significantly at James. "I just want us all to have a moment of silence for them." Everyone obeyed. James noticed that all the redheads he had seen earlier looked incredibly sad. So did Hermione. In fact EVERYONE (excluding a few Slytherins) looked very sad. ~*~It seems like everyone's lost someone~*~, James thought to himself.  
  
"All right. If you would all stand up and get out of the way," Everyone looked a little confused but did as she asked. McGonagall waved her wand and all the tables slid to the sides of the room. Tons of snack foods appeared on the table and music started coming out of nowhere. With another wave, streamers and balloons were everywhere. "Unless there are any complaints, let the party begin!"  
  
Everyone cheered and started dancing. James grinned. That had been so . UnMcGonagall like. He could tell she must have been VERY happy. Ginny grabbed his hand and they started dancing. While they were, James looked at Ginny. She looked a little bit like Lily. It almost felt like he was dancing with Lily and not Ginny for a second. James shook his head at himself. Ginny looked up at him.  
  
"Is anything wrong?"  
  
"No. I guess I'm just still a little . wound up." She smiled.  
  
"You have the right to be. I can't believe you did it, Harry. But then, if anyone was going to be able to do it, it would have been you." James smiled at her.  
  
"Thanks."  
  
"You know, I bet Ron's really happy right now. Up there, I mean." James put the evening's events together and realized that Ron must have been his son's best friend. And Voldemort must have killed him. How terrible.  
  
"Yeah, I reckon he is." She leaned her head against his shoulder. It wasn't that strange. He usually danced with girls other than Lily at parties. Lily had always been all right with it. After a while, he and Ginny went to sit with Hermione.  
  
James looked at Hermione and asked, "Do you want to dance?" Hermione looked surprised. So did Ginny. But then she shrugged and went into the crowd of people with James. It was yet another slow dance.  
  
"You really had me scared, Harry. I wish I would have known how to mend broken bones. Then I could have come with you and-" James put his hand up. He supposed Hermione must have broken something and hadn't been able to come with Harry to fight Voldemort.  
  
"It's okay." Hermione smiled grimly at him.  
  
"It only took Madam Pomfrey about a second to mend it. I really DO need to learn how to do that."  
  
"You do that, Hermione."  
  
"God, Harry, so much has happened. So many people are gone." She shook her head sadly. But then her eyes brightened a little. "But I think you've made everyone feel better. You know, like you kind of . avenged everyone who died. Have you seen Fred and George? They took time off from the joke shop to come see you. Anyway, they're almost acting like their old selves! They've hardly been the same since Ron." She looked close to tears again. He patted her shoulder like he had earlier.  
  
"It's okay, it's all okay now." She nodded.  
  
"Well, you showed HIM. V-" she hesitated, "Voldemort isn't laughing anymore!" As the song ended, James smiled at Hermione. He liked her automatically. Ginny may have LOOKED like Lily but this girl's personality was almost identical to Lily's. The two of them walked back over to Ginny. Ginny was talking to who James realized were Fred and George. They both smiled widely.  
  
"We knew you could do it, Harry!" one of them yelled.  
  
"You showed him!" the other said. James smiled at both of them, wondering who was Fred and who was George.  
  
"We brought free stuff from the shop for everyone." Hermione looked apprehensive.  
  
"Are you sure that's a good idea, Fred?" So the first one was Fred. Fred smiled.  
  
"Of course I'm sure. This place needs some laughs!" George nodded.  
  
"So do we," he said, with a note of seriousness in his voice. Fred patted him on the shoulder.  
  
"You really did it!" Then the two of them went wandering into the crowd, holding several bags of candies and fake wands. Ginny was smiling.  
  
"They're practically back to normal!"  
  
James smiled at her; his jaws were starting to hurt from so much smiling. He noticed a man with pale skin and black hair coming toward him. James raised his eyebrows. It couldn't be. But it was. Severus Snape, a grown man, was walking toward him. With a frown, James realized Snape was a TEACHER. He had AUTHORITY over James. This thought really scared him. He looked at Snape with his eyes wide. Snape surprisingly put his hand out to James.  
  
"G-good job, Potter." James stared at his hand for a moment. Shaking Snape's hand was against everything he believed in. And yet Harry probably would shake his hand. And James didn't want any suspicion. So he shook Snape's hand.  
  
"Thank you, er, Professor." He almost laughed at the thought of Snape being a professor. Then he looked at Snape's face. He seemed to be having some great internal struggle.  
  
"Potter . I just wanted to say-to say . that I'm . s-sorry." His eyes widened.  
  
"Really?" Snape groaned, as if he REALLY didn't want to say that again. "Yes. I blamed you for your father's actions and I shouldn't have. You're not him-" James thought, grinning, ~*~oh yes I am~*~, "-no matter how much you may look or act like him. And besides," this he REALLY looked like he didn't want to say, "maybe . maybe I'm not THAT angry with your father anymore. I guess . I guess he was . um, okay." Snape sighed and looked at him. James couldn't believe it. He'd always thought Snape would grow up to be a Death Eater or something. But here he was, apologizing for treating him, or rather his son, badly.  
  
"Thank you. And, um, I'm sorry too for . whatever I've done." Snape nodded.  
  
"Thank you, Potter." He smiled very slightly. "And really, congratulations." James watched Snape walk away.  
  
"Did that really happen?" Hermione asked. James nodded.  
  
"I think it did." He, Ginny, and Hermione burst out laughing.  
  
"This had been one crazy day!" Ginny exclaimed. The party raged on until about 3:00 when McGonagall made everyone go up to bed. James wasn't exactly sure where his room was.  
  
But a boy called out, "Oy, Harry! Our room's this way!" James smiled and followed the boy. "So, what was it like?"  
  
"What was what like?"  
  
"Your fight against You-Know-Who!"  
  
"Oh, I don't really remember."  
  
"Really?" Another boy came up to them.  
  
"Is Seamus bothering you, Harry?" James shook his head.  
  
"No, I'm fine." The boy who wasn't Seamus patted James on the back.  
  
"Good for you, Harry!" They made their way up to their room. James saw one bed with a broomstick sitting next to it so he assumed that bed was his. He lied down. A sort of overweight boy walked in a little while afterward. James was strongly reminded of Peter.  
  
"Hello Harry! Doing well, I hope?"  
  
"A few bumps and bruises but basically I'm fine."  
  
"That's good!" The boy sat on his bed. He gave James a serious look. "That was really good, what you did. I don't think I ever told you, but my parents . well . his supporters . hurt them." James raised his eyebrows.  
  
"What happened?"  
  
"They were trying to get information from my parents. When my parents wouldn't give it to them, they." The boy looked strained, "they put the Cruciatus Curse on them. I visit my parents at St. Mungo's sometimes but . they don't recognize me." Seamus and Dean were both giving the boy great expressions of pity.  
  
"I'm so sorry, Neville," Seamus said.  
  
"Yeah, we never knew." Neville waved his hand and turned back to Harry.  
  
"Anyway, it makes me feel really good the You-Know-Who is gone now. I bet my parents would be happy too." James patted Neville on the shoulder. He was really wondering who Neville's parents had been.  
  
"That's good. Maybe . maybe your parents'll get better someday." Neville's face looked grim.  
  
"Yeah, maybe." He got up and went to his own bed. "I've got to finish this application." He held up a piece of paper on his bed.  
  
"What's that for?" Dean asked.  
  
"Well, since Professor Sprout is retiring, I was thinking I'd apply for the Herbology job. We get out of Hogwarts in a few months and I'm going to need a job." He smiled bashfully. "Not that I think I'll get it."  
  
"Oh, I think you could," Seamus said. "You're great at Herbology." Neville shrugged.  
  
"We'll see."  
  
Everyone got into their beds. James couldn't help but notice that one of the beds was empty. He was guessing it had been Ron's bed. The lights were turned off. Dean, Seamus, and Neville all muttered their congratulations to James again before falling asleep. James, however, wasn't tired. He was still quite amazed by his situation. He drew the hangings of his four-poster and took his wand (which had luckily been in his pocket before the Damore Sero thing) out.  
  
"Lumos," he whispered. He looked in his son's trunk at the foot of his bed. He was curious about Harry's possessions. He found what looked like a photo album. He opened it, expecting pictures of his son's friends, but was surprised to see pictures of himself. Only he was OLDER. But it was definitely him. There were pictures of him, Lily, and a baby.  
  
"Oh god, this is WEIRD," he whispered to himself. It was very strange seeing was he was going to look like in about five years. He looked at the baby. He had hair just as untidy as his own. James sighed. Was all of this really happening? In five years, was he really going to die? Why would Voldemort ever come after him? The only threat he really posed was that he got very good grades. He was Head Boy in his year. He wondered if Harry was as well. His thoughts were interrupted when he saw a snowy white owl outside his window. He opened the window and let her in. He took the letter from her.  
  
Dear James, Hello. This is Harry's owl; her name is Hedwig. Anyway, I need to talk to you. Harry has your Invisibility Cloak in his trunk. Take that and go outside. Transform and go out to the Whomping Willow. No one'll bother us in the Shrieking Shack. Your Friend, Sirius  
  
James folded up the letter. He looked in Harry's trunk. Sure enough, the invisibility cloak was there. He put it on and quietly left the room. He'd gotten very good at sneaking out over the years so this wasn't a very big deal. He got outside easily. He hid the cloak in a bush and transformed into a stag. It was strange going to the Whomping Willow without a dog and a rat following him. He picked up a twig with his mouth and prodded the knot with it. The tree froze and he went through to the Shrieking Shack. A large dog was sitting on the bed. Both of them transformed back to their normal selves.  
  
"So," Sirius said, "how was the party?"  
  
"It was fun. Very strange though."  
  
"What do you think of Harry's friends?"  
  
"I like them a lot. Hermione reminds me a lot of Lily."  
  
"That was the first thing I thought about her too." James sighed.  
  
"I like Ginny too. But I'm surprised Harry would choose Ginny over Hermione. Hermione seems to be more his type."  
  
"More YOUR type, you mean. Though Harry's your son, that doesn't mean you have the same taste in girls." James shrugged. "And be careful, James. Don't screw things up with Harry and Ginny. That's girl's so head over heels for him."  
  
"I won't. But really, it seems like he was better friends with Hermione."  
  
"He was. But remember that Ron was also their best friend."  
  
"Oh . Hermione and Ron?" Sirius nodded.  
  
"Up until Ron's dying day."  
  
"Sirius . how did it happen?" Sirius looked grim.  
  
"I'll tell you at some point. It's a pretty long story and not one I feel like telling."  
  
"Were you close to Ron?"  
  
"Yes, somewhat. He was a good kid. He was always there for Harry."  
  
"Just like you were always there for me."  
  
"That's right." James looked up at Sirius, surprised to see tears running down his face.  
  
"What's wrong?"  
  
"I just can't believe it's you, James. And being here . it almost makes me feel like I'm a teenager again." Sirius looked at him. James saw all that grief in his eyes.  
  
"Sirius, what all HAPPENED? I mean; you never used to be like this."  
  
"Well . you died, for one thing."  
  
"I know."  
  
"And I never really recovered from that. And it's so strange to see you now."  
  
"I know. But how did that all happen? Why was Voldemort after me?"  
  
"Once again James, we'll talk about that another time. But your death was a great ordeal." Sirius came over and hugged him. "It's great to see you, Prongs." James hugged him back.  
  
"Yeah, I'm here now." Sirius smiled. James saw a little bit of his own Sirius come back into his face.  
  
"Anyway, enough of that."  
  
"Yeah." James sat on the bed. "You know, I found a photo album of Harry's. It had me in it when I was older. It was WEIRD."  
  
"I'm sure it would be. I remember when Harry showed that to me. It made me quite sad." James nodded. Sirius put his hand on shoulder. "You'd better get to bed now." James nodded again.  
  
"All right. Night, Padfoot."  
  
"Night, Prongs."  
  
James transformed and went back to the castle. He transformed back, put him invisibility cloak on and went back to his dorm room. Poor Sirius had been through so much. James wondered what Sirius had been doing with himself for the last twenty years. He'd have to ask him about it. He thought about the people he'd met. His son had nice friends. He still liked Hermione better than Ginny. He wondered if Harry would have ended up with Hermione had Ron not gotten there first. He also wondered what Ron had looked like. There was so much for him to learn about his son's life.  
  
Okay poppets! It's been forever since I've updated this! Hope you liked this chapter! R/R! 


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